Dear Tweeters,

Ah, the intersection of two dear fields, wordlore and birdlore!

Curmudgeon that I am, I would prefer to fly in the face of current habit and pronounce the "Gyr" in "Gyrfalcon" with a hard "G" instead of a "J" sound. Still, since other birders (and especially raptor buffs, who tend to be fanatics among fanatics) stoop steeply, talons at the ready, when they hear that pronunciation, in the last few years I have just gone along with the crowd.

English-language dictionaries tend to say that the name derives from "hiero" + falcon, making this a "sacred falcon." However, the bird is called "Gerfalk" in German, and most German dictionaries say it derives from "Ger" + "Falk." The "ger" was a javelin- or spear-type weapon of the Germanic tribes. Some of these published etymologies refer to arrow-shaped feathers in the bird's plumage in this regard; I have always thought that, if it did derive from a comparison to a weapon, it might have more to do with the bird's habits--speedy and dangerous like a spear.

The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, edited by C. T. Onions (love that name, too) is more honest in its entry. It says that the origin of the "Gyr" element is obscure, mentioning certain "unjustifiable attempts" at tracing its origin. This book does mention some of these interesting possibilities, including the Greek word "hierax" (hawk) and the Latin "gyrare" (to gyrate).

I would suspect that centuries ago, English speakers pronounced the word with the good old Germanic hard "G" sound, but that after the Norman Conquest, zee French eenfluence altered that to zee present soft sound zat we have grown used to hearing on zee Samish Flats. If you say "JURR-Falcon" and make the first syllable rhyme with "purr" or "murre," then you will stand in agreement with current practice. Just remember that, somewhere in a barrow below the rolling countryside of the Salisbury Plain, a Saxon noble is gyrating at the sound of it...

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch



Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

Yanbu, Saudi Arabia



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